As I write this column it is a pulchritudinous Spring Day outside. Now that word sounds more ominous than appealing, like it could be a day with cold winds and blowing snow, but it is not. The snow and ice are melting as the temperature is rising and the sun is shining. It is a beautiful day!
Pulchritudinous comes from the Latin word pulcher, meaning beautiful. It is one of the 1,435 words in the English language that is 15 letters long, so it makes your hands and fingers ache from typing or writing it. Its cousins are pulchrify, meaning beautify, and pulchrous, meaning fair. Sadly, these words have all but disappeared from regular speech or writing. Proverb 31:30 proclaims, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” However, as with beauty, the use of pulchritudinous and its relatives haven’t seemed to last long. The first usage of the word happened in the 15th century in the form pulchritude, meaning physical comeliness or the quality of being attractive.
To describe something as pulchritudinous might be somewhat subjective. As Margaret Hungerford wrote in 1878 in Molly Brown, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” There is no consensus of what is beautiful for most things. Even if there was, it is as Confucius wrote, “Everything has pulchritude but not everyone sees it.”
The Preacher recorded, “God has made everything beautiful in its time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11) In the intent of the Creator everything was formed to have pulchritudinous attributes or features. The Hebrew word used by the Preacher for beautiful, yapheh, was also used to describe Israel’s most famous king, “Now David was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, ‘Arise, anoint him (ruler), for this is he.’” (1 Samuel 16:12) It seems that King David had pulchritudinous eyes as an important attribute.
Beauty is an important aspect of designing buildings and clothing. Even the priests of ancient Israel wore holy clothing designed by God for beauty. As God commanded in Exodus 28:2, “Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.” It hasn’t been until modern times that buildings used for religious services have become more utilitarian than pulchritudinous. I personally think that is a sad commentary on our spiritual lives.
The blessings of God are pulchritudinous. “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” The descriptions of heaven and the new creation convey pulchritudinous aspects not literal things in the Book of the Revelation.
What appears pulchritudinous may not reflect reality. As Jesus accused the religious leaders of the day, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear pulchritudinous, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
Audrey Hepburn said, “The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives the passion that she shows. The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years.” May we revere such a pulchritudinous character and may others see it in us also.
Columnist John Kreutzwieser loves to research words and writes this weekly Word Wisdom column for Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com. He has an interest in the usage, origin, and relevance of words for society today. Greek and Latin form the basis of many words, with ancient Hebrew shedding light on word usage.
John would like to know if anyone has a sincere interest in a relevant word that he could possibly research for an upcoming column. If so, please send your requests to wordwisdom2021@gmail.com . Words will be selected according to relevance and research criteria. We cannot confirm that all words will be used.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
